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Monday, January 28, 2013

I was going through a box of my old recipe cards the other day and found the recipe for my mom's microwave fudge. I used to love this stuff when I was a kid, even though it never really set up like real fudge. Well, problem solved through veganizing! Since vegan shortening or butter tends to stay firmer than dairy butter, this has a very authentic fudge consistency. People will think you made it the old-fashioned way!

It's so easy that even non-cooks can make it. I've come up with two different delicious flavors. Best of all? It only takes a max of five minutes!Chocolate Fudge

Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper (or wax paper). In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the first three ingredients. Cut the butter into pats and drop into dry ingredients. Microwave 1 - 2 minutes until butter is melted. Add milk and stir until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Microwave one minute, add vanilla, and stir until smooth. (If it gets too firm to stir effectively, microwave 30 seconds and stir again.) Microwave 30 seconds and pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Cut in squares and serve.

Instructions:
Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper (or wax paper). In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the first two ingredients. Cut the butter into pats and drop into dry ingredients. Microwave 1 - 2 minutes until butter is melted. Add peanut butter and microwave 30 seconds. Add milk and stir until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Microwave one minute, add vanilla, and stir until smooth. (If it gets too firm to stir effectively, microwave 30 seconds and stir again.) Microwave 30 seconds and pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Cut in squares and serve.

Monday, January 14, 2013

This post is mainly for my friend Ana - a frozen food vegan, but it's come up before and I'm sure it will come up again. When you develop a sensitivity or allergy to something like soy or wheat, that way of eating can become really tough to maintain.

So here are some really easy meal ideas (I only hesitatingly call them 'recipes') for people who are cooking-challenged. They don't generally require any more knowledge than being able to boil water, turn on your oven to a specified temperature, or simmer something on the stove.They're also very flexible for whatever your likes or dislikes are. To make gluten-free, simply use gluten-free noodles or breads when those are called for.

If you have other suggestions for soy-free, super-easy meals, please leave them in comments!

Noodles: Pixie's Spaghetti Bolonese - Boil noodles. Drain and rinse a can of black beans. Either chop beans roughly and add to sauce, or add to sauce and pulse with an immersion blender until roughly the consistency of soy crumbles. Serve with a salad and fresh whole grain bread.

Mom's Italian pasta salad - Boil and drain noodles. Add any of the veggies listed under 'Pesto' or matchstick carrots, drained and rinsed kidney beans or chickpeas, or chiffonade (thin ribbons) of spinach, kale, or basil leaves. Toss noodles and veggies with Italian salad dressing to coat. Best served chilled.

Lo Mein - Boil rice noodles. Microwave a bag of stir-fry vegetables. Toss with the Asian sauce of your choosing. (If you want to add seitan for extra protein or 'bite', toss strips into the pot with the noodles for the last minute of cooking to heat up.)

Beans:Chili - Mix 2 cans of ready to eat chili beans with 1 can black beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes and chilies, and a drained can of corn. Mix in chili powder and cumin to taste, or add half a can of enchilada sauce if you don't have spices on hand. Heat and serve.

Black-eyed peas: Heat a can of black-eyed peas on the stove top. Toss in a teaspoon of minced garlic (sold in jars in the produce section) and 1/4 diced onion (also sold pre-cut in the produce section) and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes. Serve over steam-in-bag microwave brown rice or quinoa, with some steamed broccoli or carrots mixed in. (Birds Eye has a rice mix with those things already in it!)

BBQ seitan - Mix seitan strips with your favorite BBQ sauce and warm on stove or in micro. Serve on a bun.

PizzasMexican pizza - Coat one side of a flat bread, pita, or tortilla with taco sauce. Top generously with pre-cut trio of tomatoes, onions, and peppers (sold in the fresh produce department). Add black olives, leftover corn kernels, or jalepenos. Bake 10 min at 400.

Italian pizza - Coat one side of a flat bread or split, toasted English muffins with marinara sauce. Top with the pizza veggies of your choosing and/or a little Daiya (shredded vegan cheese). Bake 10 min at 400.

Mediterranean pizza - Coat one side of a flat bread or pita with dairy-free Greek dressing (or Italian dressing if you can't find a dairy-free Greek). Top with spinach, tomatoes, onions, olives, artichokes and vegan parmesan-substitute, if you like. Bake 10 min at 400.

Rice (or substitute other steam-in-bag grains)Mushroom rice and veggies - Mix 1 bag steam-in-bag rice with a can of vegan mushroom gravy and a bag of steamed mixed vegetables.

SoupsVegetable soup - toss cut up root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips, etc.) into a pot with a box of vegetable stock. Boil until 10 minutes, then add any other softer veggies you like and simmer for 10 more minutes or until all the veggies are fork tender. Add a little salt or any other spices you like.

Box soup - take any vegan boxed soup (creamy broccoli, carrot almond, roasted red pepper, etc.), warm, and add a bag of steamed vegetables and some salt and pepper. You could also add leftover grains or noodles.

Black bean soup - add 2 cans of seasoned black beans to a box of vegetable stock. Mix in one package of pre-cut tomatoes, peppers, and onions (sold in the fresh produce section). Simmer until the peppers are soft.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

This is the quickest, easiest egg- and dairy-free cake imaginable. It takes under five minutes to prepare and comes out perfect every time. I can't take all the credit: this is a modified version of a recipe from PETA's cookbook, The Compassionate Cook. (Which is a cookbook totally worth the five or so bucks on Amazon.) Here's my version:

Currant & Walnut Applesauce Cake

1/2 cup vegan butter (1 stick of Earth Balance)

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 cups all-purpose flour (organic white or wheat)

1 cup packed organic brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup currants (or raisins)

1 cup crushed walnuts

2 tbsp organic powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Spray the bottom of an eight- or nine-inch square pan with organic cooking spray. (I use a Corningwear dish.) Melt the butter (either in a pan on the stove or in a microwave-safe bowl). Mix all the other ingredients except the powdered sugar into the pan/dish with the butter. Stir just until combined. Pour into the sprayed baking dish. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes until a knife slid into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar and serve.

When I first got married, my mother-in-law introduced me to a family friend, a little old Polish lady named Pauline. This dear woman loved to show hospitality and always urged us to eat any time we came to visit. Her specialties were Old World dishes from her childhood: stuffed cabbage, dumplings, and pork with sauerkraut.

Raised on a standard American diet, all of these foods were unfamiliar to me, but I learned to love the flavors and the heartiness. When dear Pauline finally passed away, I learned to make them on my own.

Now, at last, I decided to come up with a vegan version for one of Pauline's recipes. Knowing how healthy fermented foods like sauerkraut are for you, I was looking to get more in my diet. As usual, converting the recipe was much easier than I expected. As usual, the end result is much healthier for you. Simply replace the pork with prepared seitan and adjust the cooking time. The flavor is authentic, but without all the fat.

Sork (seitan 'pork') and Powerkraut

30 - 32 ounces of sauerkraut (2 cans, or 2 small jars, or one large bag)
8 oz cubed seitan (I use Westsoy, found at Whole Foods in the refrigerated section)
1 small apple, peeled, cored, and cubed. (Use a sweet apple variety, not a sour one, to mellow the kraut.)

Add all ingredients to a pot. If necessary, add enough water to cover. Bring just to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until apples are soft - about 45 minutes to an hour. Serve with a slotted spoon, sprinkling with salt and pepper if desired.